Optical interconnect technology has been successfully implemented in long distance telecommunications, in local area network communication systems, in computer-to-computer, and board-to-board interconnections. The complexity and speed of electronic integrated circuit devices such as microprocessors continue to increase at a very high rate. However, the input and output (I/O) capability of these devices has not been able to scale at the same rate, because of the existing limitations in electronic packaging and integrating of these devices. Also, the current technologies of integrating large arrays of opto-electronic devices with electronic integrated circuit devices require bottom emitting/detecting of a light beam, and these methodologies are generally not scalable for a wafer-scale fabrication and/or integration of both emitters and detectors.
Therefore there is a need for a method of integrating an opto-electronic device with an electronic integrated circuit device for a scalable wafer-scale fabrication, and at the same time providing a large-scale I/O capability to an electronic integrated circuit device.
These and other aspects, advantages, and features of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the following description of the invention and referenced drawings, or by practice of the invention. The aspects, advantages, and features of the invention are realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities, procedures, and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims and their equivalents.
According to one aspect of the present subject matter, a method of integrating an opto-electronic integrated circuit device includes forming top emitter/detector devices on a substrate such that the top emitter/detector devices have top contact pads on a top side of the top emitter/detector devices, wherein the top side is disposed across from the substrate, and further the substrate has a bottom side that is across from the top side of the top emitter/detector devices. An optically transparent superstrate is attached onto the top side of the top emitter/detector devices such that the optically transparent superstrate having a top surface across from the top side of the top emitter/detector devices. The top contact pads are exposed on the bottom side of the substrate. The bottom contact pads are formed on the bottom side and the bottom contact pads are connected to the top contact pads to bring the top contact pads to the bottom side. Further micro-optic devices can be formed on the top surface of the transparent superstrate to provide optical processing capability to the top emitter/detector devices. The bottom contact pads are attached to matching pads of an electronic integrated circuit device to form an opto-electronic integrated circuit device having a high density optical I/O on an electronic integrated circuit device.
Other aspects of the invention will be apparent on reading the following detailed description of the invention and viewing the drawings that form a part thereof.